Funding Overseas Contingency Ops, and More from CRS
The use of the “overseas contingency operations” budget construct to circumvent limits on discretionary spending was examined in a report from the Congressional Research Service published yesterday.
“Some DOD officials argue that this funding approach is essential to enable a timely military response to a dynamic enemy operating in a complex battlespace,” the CRS report said. “Critics however, have described the DOD’s continued use of the OCO/GWOT account as creating a ‘slush fund’ for military spending.” See Overseas Contingency Operations Funding: Background and Status, June 13, 2016.
Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.
Athletic Footwear for the Military: The Berry Amendment Controversy, CRS Insight, June 10, 2016
The Open Skies Treaty: Issues in the Current Debate, CRS Insight, June 10, 2016
FY2017 Appropriations for the Department of Justice, updated June 9, 2016
Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile, updated June 10, 2016
Mass Shootings and Terrorism: CRS Products, June 13, 2016
Fourteen teams from ten U.S. states have been selected as the Stage 2 awardees in the Civic Innovation Challenge (CIVIC), a national competition that helps communities turn emerging research into ready-to-implement solutions.
The Fix Our Forests Act provides an opportunity to speed up the planning and implementation of wildfire risk reduction projects on federal lands while expanding collaborative tools to bring more partners into this vital work.
Public health insurance programs, especially Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), are more likely to cover populations at increased risk from extreme heat, including low-income individuals, people with chronic illnesses, older adults, disabled adults, and children.
“There are cities and towns across the country and around the world with immense potential; we just need to help them leverage their assets in a structured way.”